Diamond Python Morelia spilota spilota

Snakes of Victoria series

Identification

The Diamond Python, Morelia spilota spilota, is a large species with more than 40 rows of mid-body scales. It has a basic colour pattern of black with yellow spots and grows to around 3 m in length.

Diamond Python
Photographer: Peter Robertson / Source: Wildlife Profiles Pty Ltd

Distribution and habitat

Within Victoria, the Diamond Python is restricted to the coastal heaths of far East Gippsland.

Biology and bite

Diamond Pythons will bask during the day, but are primarily nocturnal and hunt for small to medium-sized, warm-blooded vertebrates at night. The females lay a clutch of 10 to 30 eggs in a cluster and care for them. The pythons are the only Victorian snakes to exhibit any form of parental care.

Diamond Pythons are non-venomous, but are capable of inflicting a painful bite. They kill their prey by constriction.

Photo of Diamond Python (close-up of head)

Diamond Python (close-up of head)
Photographer: Peter Robertson / Source: Wildlife Profiles Pty Ltd

Your comments

Hi there. I have just inherited a diamond snake due to the passing of my best friend. I have no previous knowledge of caring for a snake and could do with some help. Any information will assist. Many Thanks, Sea.

Hi Sean. Thanks for your enquiry. We will pass this on to one of our staff members in live exhibits for their feedback on this. So watch this space.

Hi again Sean. We referred your enquiry about Diamond Python care to our Coordinator, Live Exhibits. We have similar snakes to these pythons and he referred us to a couple of websites that have good, reliable, detailed information on Diamond Python care: http://www.mark.org.au/pages/cs_diamondpython.htm and http://www.dolittlefarm.com.au/docs/diamonds.pdf We hope these help you out and good luck!

i was wondering what type of habitat the diamond python lives in

I live in albion park nsw. A 1.5-2 m diamond python was in the back yard. The snake catcher came & captured it. He said it was wild.

I live in Nth Qld and my dogs cornered a diamond python. It was 3m long. It bit my dog who screamed but is fine. I am sure it was a diamond by your photos. Is it possible for it to be this far north.

Hi Kate, thanks for your enquiry, the Diamond Python, Morelia spilota spilota is usually found in the coastal regions of NSW (Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, H. C. Cogger, 2000). Another subspecies, morelia spilota variegate, commonly known as a Carpet Python is found in northern Queensland.

Hi Lorraine, you will see from the information posted previously, the Diamond Python is usually found in the coastal area of New South Wales and the Carpet Python sometimes found in Northern Queensland. You may find contacting the Queensland Museum or Brisbane's Alma Park Zoo helpful with providing a scientific identification of the snake.

I live in Australia and have just bought a 7ft Diamond cross Jungle python, the ex owner tells me the snake is 4.5 years old and was hand reared except for the last 6 months due to her pregnancy, she says the diamond python is very tame, is it possible that 6 months of not handling the snake could make it wild again, she insists this is not the case....but I wonder .....can anyone help ?

Hi Carlo - we referred your question to our Live Exhibits experts, who said that six months without handling may make the snake a little more nervous. However if it was quiet previously it should remain pretty quiet – particularly at a mature age. Most good tempered adult pythons remain so for life.

hi i have a 6 month old high yellow diamond (it is a beautiful snake) i will be going overseas for 6 weeks and live in sydney. Firstley are there snake sitters that can look after it while im gone that you can put me in contact with, secondly if my father does look after it he will online feed it not handle it, will the snake become wild considering it has been handled everyday for the last 5 months that i have owned it?

hi, i have a male diamond python he is about 2 meter long and 3 years old...he is very healthy n active but in the last couple of days he has begun to get this whitish discolouation under eath him and his eyes r very glazed..i am worried about him can u plz help???

Hi Deleena, if you have not had this snake for all that long you are possibly experiencing its first slough. This is when it peels back its old scales to reveal the new ones underneath. Pythons tend to do this in one long sock so you can dry the old scales and keep them to monitor its growth. Once they start to shed their scales it is best to leave them to it. Sometimes, they struggle to get them off in which case a water bath, some rocks and some manual help may be required.

I want a snake.

the diadmond phython is awesome

Hi, we "lost" a caged parrot in very weird circumstances. The large cage is outside at the edge of our garden. We found many bird feathers (body feathers only, no tail or flight feather) in the bottom corner of the cage and none outside the cage. No blood either. The bird is gone. The cage has a cleaning flap at the bottom. The only explanation we can think of is a snake. No other hunter type animal could enter and exit the cage. Whatever happened happened inside the cage and there is no remainder of the bird. We live in a Sydney suburb, Croydon, not near natural bush. Could we have a snake ? maybe an escaped pet python from? Any thoughts on this?

Hi Bronwyn,

We forwarded your enquiry to our Live Exhibits team, and they responded with the following:

Snakes are not the only potential culprit. Rats are well known for attacks like this, as are possums. They are usually smart enough to work out how to open cages and will simply carry the bird out and eat it somewhere else.

If a snake entered the cage and ate the bird it is unlikely that it would be able to get out afterwards. Many people have in fact used bird cages to trap escaped snakes as they snake enters the cage and then is too large to escape once it has eaten the occupant.

If a snake is to blame it is most likely a Diamond python native to the Sydney region.

Hi, I live on the central coast of NSW & had a large diamond python take residence in my front yard over xmas. It stayed about a week moving to different spots around my front door. Just last night my indoor cats managed to maim a juvenile diamond python in my kitchen which unfortunately died. It was 2 foot long, are you able to tell me how old it would be at this size and how many young in a clutch? We need to know if we need to search for & possible move more young snakes?

Hi Jen,

We forwarded your question to Museum Victoria’s Live Exhibits team who provided us with the following information:

A two foot long diamond python would be approximately 12 months old, and has most likely wandered into the home as it has moved from its place of birth looking to set up its own territory. Clutches of 20 eggs are not uncommon but mortality in juvenile snakes is very high, with only a small percentage surviving to adulthood.

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